I have had a Rem 700 BDL 8mm for several yrs and haven't had opportunity to hunt anything larger than whitetail and it's much more gun,power, & recoil than needed for deer. The recoil is NOT UNMANAGABLE but unnecessary for deer. I have handloaded 185, 200, & 220 gr bullets for velocity and accuracy with ACCURACY having priority.
For deer, 185 or 200 gr. bullets are plenty and in some bullets too heavy i.e. insufficient expansion. I live in Arkansas and apply every yr for an elk permit w/o any luck so far. WHEN,IF I get to hunt elk I will use 200 gr Nosler partitions (because I have them & they're reliable).
For game heavier than deer Barnes triple x come in 160,180, & 200 gr. that I know of. Swift A frame come in 200 gr.
I have had good luck with IMR 7828 & IMR 4831 achieving 3100fps with 200 gr bullets and 2900fps with 220 gr weight. You MUST work up to the maximum powder charge with YOUR gun. I'm not prejudiced against the 338 WM but my personal preference is 8mm Mag over 338 WM because there is more powder capacity, flatter trajectory, and better sectional density and ballistic coefficients with bullets of 200 & 220 gr.
I have handloaded the 338 WM with 225 gr. bullets and 2900 fps is certainly achievable but trajectory and sectional density of 8mm Mag 220 & 200 gr is better, however you might not be able to tell the difference in hunting situations.
I don't pretend to be an expert, I'm offering my experience from handloading & chronographing with experience in deer hunting ONLY with 8 Mag. I hope this is helpful.
